Cigar Factory, San Luis Obispo

The Cigar Factory was the name of a swanky restaurant in San Luis Obispo. This is from a set of negatives labeled Cigar Factory, with no other information. It came from a box of mid-1960s negatives and looks like the work of Jim Vestal, who would often use flash units off camera to provide dramatic lighting.
According to a story posted online the Kluver family started the business in the late 1870s and produced their own brand, the Pioneer Cigar. By the late 1970s the building was a restaurant and is now home to Novo Restaurant Lounge.

I worked there (for Dad) one summer as a bus boy around 1970. It was a great place. It was used in a couple of scenes in the movie “Personal Best”, after it was transformed from “gourmet” to “burgers and beer” by a subsequent owner. I can’t believe how young my father looks in this picture. He passed away a few years ago while living in CT.